Why Mulch Your Garden Bed?

Why Mulch Your Garden Bed?

Mulching is generally associated with decorative covering on garden beds. However, it also has protective functions for the bed. Mulch serves as a warming blanket during winter and year-round as an impenetrable layer against weeds. Mulching is important in both gardening and agriculture. Mulch is generally a spread layer of material on the soil surface to achieve ecological moisture management, prevent weed growth, and suppress temperature fluctuations. Mulch is also a source of nutrients.

How to choose what to mulch your bed with:

We follow several basic criteria. The first is decorative - whether we want the bed for ornamental purposes. The next is functional - insulating plants, preventing weed growth, natural fertilizer. Based on this, we also decide which type of mulch to use. For a classic vegetable bed, we can use mowed grass, which will be both functional and sufficiently aesthetic for these purposes. For a bed at the house entrance or a rock garden, we'd rather use bark mulch or peat, which is several classes higher in aesthetics and will give the bed first-class park-like landscaping.

What we mulch with:

• Bark, wood chips, sawdust (contain a lot of resin, may restrict plant growth, take nutrients from plants during decomposition, recommended for conifers, roses, garlic, and pathways. Bark decomposes slowly). The disadvantage is the spread of fungal diseases. These diseases can spread to plants and kill them. We recommend applying the mulch layer in spring and topping up at the end of summer).
• Leaves (only use leaves that are not affected by diseases. Also do not use leaves that have been raked from roadsides).
• Straw (ideal for fast-growing plants. It draws nitrogen from the soil during decomposition, so it is recommended to use it mixed with chicken manure).
• Peat (peat is not recommended, it dries out too quickly, acidifies the soil and its extraction irreversibly damages nature).
• Pine needles (suitable for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, azaleas. Pine needles repel slugs).
• Plant and branch cuttings (always shred as finely as possible).
• Cardboard (cardboard should be pre-soaked so it follows the shape of the soil. Never use printed cardboard or newspapers with printing ink containing heavy metals).
• Stones, gravel, pebbles (suitable for heat-loving plants, they accumulate heat from sunlight and retain moisture. They are suitable for pathways. Gravel deters slugs).
• Green manure (sowing spinach and legumes is suitable).
• Compost
• Textiles (very positively affects plant growth. Laying textiles is not difficult. Suitable as a layer under bark mulch, very suitable for growing strawberries. Lifespan is approximately 2-3 years)
• Herbs (aromatic herbs such as sage or mint repel pests).
• Grass clippings (let the grass dry slightly to prevent rotting. Grass clippings are ideal for mulching, they also attract earthworms which aerate the soil sufficiently. Suitable for mulching around strawberries, keeping the fruits clean).

Why we mulch:

• By mulching we help nature, it is a natural fertiliser, so we don't need to use industrial fertilisers and it also provides protection against weeds, so we don't need to use weed sprays.
• Reduces the need for hoeing the soil and possible damage to plant roots, the soil doesn't dry out.
• Mulching improves moisture conditions.
• Prevents soil erosion.
• Has aesthetic appeal, with bark mulch or peat, the bed looks distinctive and well-maintained.
• Under mulch, more living organisms thrive.
• The nutrient content in the soil increases as the mulch decomposes.

How we mulch:

We recommend spreading mulch on beds in a layer 10-20cm high. This way, mulching has a more significant effect. Thanks to this thicker layer, weeds underneath the mulch will rot away. This means we can cover even weedy beds with mulch and there's no need to pull out the weeds, we simply smother them. If we apply a thin layer of mulch, the wind will blow it away and it won't have an aesthetic effect either. The best time for mulching is spring. If we already had mulch on the beds - remove the old mulch and compost it, and let the sun warm up the soil. Wait with the mulch until the plants grow a bit in spring. Water the bed thoroughly. Spread the mulch around the seedlings. Leave space around taller plants, their stems and trunks. Then water the soil thoroughly again. It's advisable to edge the beds with stones, for example, to prevent the mulch from spilling out.

If you want to mulch around trees, don't place the mulch right up to the trunk, as this could cause it to rot. You can preventively surround the trunk with stones, which will create a boundary between the trunk and the mulch.

If we use light, airy material for mulching, a layer of about 1-2 cm is sufficient, for example with dried cut grass.

Procedure for mulching as winter protection:

In autumn, cut back the shoots of perennials and multi-year plants to about 15 cm on the bed, or as you're used to doing the classic pre-winter treatment. Water the bed soil one last time so the plants can absorb moisture before the roots freeze. Layer plenty of dry leaves or mulch around the plants and cover with a cardboard box or non-woven fabric. This will prevent the mulch from blowing away. This winter protection - warming layer - will help plants survive the frost. In spring - as soon as it gets warmer, remove the top layer, and the rest of the mulch only when the plants develop new shoots.

Lawn mulching:

Mulching also refers to a special method of cutting the lawn, where the grass chopped into fine mulch by the mower remains on the lawn. This method of cutting and mulching occasionally benefits ornamental lawns. It's recommended to alternate with collecting the cut grass. The most modern mowers already have a mulch function or collection into a basket.

Mulching with cut grass:

Cut grass is not a fertilizer in itself, but supplies nutrients over a longer time horizon to plants that need nitrogen. We recommend pre-drying the grass. Then spread it in a thin layer so that enough air and moisture reaches the roots.

Mulching saves us energy and time that we would spend hoeing and weeding the beds. It looks aesthetic and provides plants with necessary nutrients.